'    :  - 


U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE, 

BUREAU  OF  PLANT   [NDUSTRY— Circular  No.  29. 

B.  T.  GALLOWAY,  Chief  of  Bun 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH  EGYPTIAN 
COTTON  IN  1908. 


THOMAS  II.   KEARNEY,   Physiologist, 


WILLIAM  A.  PETERSON,  Farm  Supkrintenden: 


WASHINGTON   :  GOVERNMENT  I 


JJNIV  OF  FL  LIB 


US  DEPOSITORY 


BUREAU  OF  PLANT  INDUSTRY. 

Physiologist  and  Pathologist,  and  Chief  of  Bureau,  Beverly  T.  Calloway. 

Physiologist  and  Pathologist,  and  Assistant  chic]  of  Bureau,  Albert   F.  Woods. 

Laboratory  of  Plant  Pathology,  Erwin  1'.  Smith,  Pathologist  in  Charge. 

Fruit  Disease  Investigations,  Merton  B.  Waite,  Pathologist  in  Charm. 

Investigations  in  Forest  Pathology,  Haven  Metcalf,  Pathologist  in  Chargi 

cation  and  Truck  Diseases  and  Plant  Disease  Survey,  William  A.  Orton,   Pathologist   in 
Charge. 

Pathological  Collections  and  Inspection  Work,  Flora  W.  Patterson,  Mycologist  in  Cha 

Plant  Life  History  Investigations,  Waller  T.  Swingle,  Physiologist  in  Charge. 

Cotton  Breeding  Investigations,  Archibald  l>.  Shame!  and  Daniel  N.  Shoemaker,  Physiolo- 
gists in  Charge.  i 

Tobacco    Investigations,    Archibald    1).    Shamel,    Wightman    W.    Garner,    and    Ernest    II. 
Mathewson,  in  Chari 

Com   Investigations,  Charles  P.   Hartley,   Physiologist    in  Charge. 

Alkali  <ii,  ttant  Plant  Breeding  Investigations,  Thomas  II.  Kearney,  Physi- 

ologist  in  Cha  r 

Soil  Bacteriology  and   Water  Purification  Investigations,  Karl  F.  Kellerman,  Physiologist 
in  Charge. 

Bionomic  Investigations  of  Tropical  and  Subtropical  Plants,  Orator   1  •'.   Cook,   Blonomist 
in  CI 

Drug  and  Poisonous  Plant  and  Tea  Culture  Investigations,  Rodney  II.  True,  Physioli 
in  Charge. 

Physical  Laboratory,  Lyman  J.  Briggs,  Physicist  in  Charge. 

ultural  Technology,  Nathan  A.  Cobb,  Crop  Technologist  in  Charge. 

tivestigations,  Frederick  V.  Coville,  Botanist  in  Charge. 
William  J.  Spillman,  Agriculturist  in  Charge. 

Grain  Investigations,  Mark  Alfred  Carleton,  Cerealist  in  Charge. 

.,!,/,.  pcrimental  Farm  and  Horticultural  Investigations,  Lee  C,   Corbett,  Horticul- 

turist in  Charge. 

Vegetable  Testh  .  William  W.  Tracy,  sr.,  Superintendent. 

Sugar-Beet  Investigations,  Charles  O.  Townsend,  Pat  in  Charge. 

H    Ygricultural  1  ,  Carl  S.  Scofield,  Agriculturist  in  Charge. 

Investigations,  E.  Channing  Agriculturist  in  Charge. 

Pomological .Collections,  Gustavus  B.  Brackett,   Pomologist   in  Charge. 

Pomology,  Willi  Harold  Powell,   Pomologists 

in  Charge. 

Exp,  ens  and  Grounds.  Edward  M.   Byrnes,   Superintendent. 

Foreign  Seed  and  Plant   Introduction,  David  Fairchild,  Agricultural  Explorer  in  Charge. 
ligations,  Charles  V.  Piper,  Agrostologist  in  Charge. 

geei  ry,  Edgar  Brown,  Botanist  in  Char 

Grain  Standardization,  John  D.  Shaualian.  I  it  in  Chan 

Subtro  ■  P-  •'■  Wester,  in  Charge. 

Plant  Introducti  al.,  W.  W.  Tracy,  jr.,  Assistant  Botanist   i 

South  '  'omologist  in  Charge. 

Iterative  Demonstration    w  \    Knapp,  Special  Agenl    in  charge. 

Seed   Distribution    (Directed  by  Chief  of  Bureau),   Lisle  Morrison,   Assistant   In   General 
Cha 


Editor,  J.  E.  Rockwell. 

! .  James  E.    roni 
[Cir.  -2'.)] 


It.   IV  I         Ifil 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH  EGYPTIAN  COTTON  IN 

1908. 


INTRODUCTION." 

In  [908  about  in  acres  of  land  were  planted  to  Egyptian  cotton  in 
the  Colorado  River  region.  A  few  -mall  plantings  to  tesl  the  effect 
of  diverse  climatic  and  soil  conditions  were  made  in  the  Imperial  and 
Coachella  valleys,  California,  but  the  greater  part  of  this  acreage  was 
located  in  the  valleys  of  the  Gila,  Salt,  and  Colorado  rivers,  in 
Arizona.     The  largest    planting— 19  acres — was  made  on   the    Pima 

operation  with  the  Indian  (il^vO'iSdiO  Department  of  the  Interior. 
Five  acre--  were  grown  at  Ituna,  An/...  on  the  experimental  farm 
operated  by  the  Office  of  Western  Agricultural  Extension  in  co- 
operation with  the  Reclamation  Service;  2  acre-  on  the  Indian  school 
farm  at  Phoenix,  and  the  rest  was  put  in  by  individual  farmers, 
chiefly  in  the  Gila  Valley,  west  of  Phoenix. 

The  plantings  were  so  distributed  as  to  place  the  cotton,  which  had 
been  grown  during  the  two  previous  seasons  only  at  Yuma,  under  a 
considerable  variety  of  condition-  as  to  climate,  soil,  and  irrigation. 
Consequently,  it  was  possible  to  obtain  some  idea  of  the  degree  of 
diversity  to  be  expected  as  the  result  of  transfer  from  one  locality 
to  another.  During  the  summer  it  became  apparent  that  the  plants 
were  behaving  differently   in   different    places.     Arrangements  were. 

"  Tin*  results  of  the  experiments  with  Egyptian  cotton  in  the  Southwestern 
stairs  t ■  i >  tn  the  end  of  the  year  1907  wen*  stated  in  Bulletin  No.  I2S  of  the 
Bureau  of  Plant  industry,  entitled  "Egyptian  Cotton  in  the  Southwestern 
United  States,"  by  Thomas  II.  Kearney  and  William  A.  Peterson,  which  also 
discussed  the  cotton  industry  in  Egypt,  describing  briefly  the  climate  inn 
and  the  methods  used  in  growing  the  crop  and  handling  the  product.  The 
principal  Egyptian  varieties  were  described  and  statistics  were  given  concerning 
Egyptian  cotton  as  an  impnrl  into  the  i'nilcd  stales.  The  present  circular 
gives  an  aeeniiiit  of  the  progress  of  the  work  since  the  publication  of  Bulletin 

http;//a'rehiVe'.drg/details7experim00unit 


4  EXPERIMENTS    WITH    EGYPTIAN    COTTON    IN    1908. 

therefore  made  for  Mr.  ( ).  F.  Cook,  of  the  Bureau  of  riant  Industry, 
and  two  of  his  assistants,  Messrs.  Argyle  McLachlan  and  Roland 
Meade,  to  spend  several  weeks  at  Yuma  and  Sacaton  in  the  early 
autumn,  studying  the  variations  of  this  cotton  in  process  of  accli- 
matization. They  had  become  familiar  with  similar  phenomena  in 
the  course  of  their  investigation  of  the  behavior  of  Central  American 
varieties  of  cotton  when  introduced  into  the  United  State-.  Inci- 
dentally they  made  a  careful  study  of  the  hybrids  with  Upland 
cottons  that  were  present  in  the  acclimatized  stock  of  the  Egyptian 
type. 

The  services  of  Mr.  John  A.  Walker,  an  expert  classifier  of  Egyp- 
tian cotton,  were  secured  in  order  that  the  fiber  produced  might  be 
properly  graded  as  it  came  from  the  gins.  Mr.  Walker  distinguished 
six  grades  in  the  cotton  produced  at  Sacaton  and  Yuma,  basing  the 
grades  upon  freedom  from  trash,  upon  length,  strength,  and  fineni 
of  the  staple,  and  upon  color  and  uniformity.  In  baling,  the  different 
grades  were  kept  separate  and  great  care  was  taken  to  have  the  con- 
tents of  each  bale  as  uniform  as  possible.  In  all.  about  12  bales  were 
obtained,  which  it  is  proposed  to  market  under  such  circumstances- 
as  will  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  profits  to  be  expected  from  tins  type 
of  cotton  in  the  Colorado  River  region. 

While  the  results  of  the  experiments  in  1908  were  in  the  main 
favorable,  further  experimental  work  will  he  necessary  before  the 
seed  can  safely  lie  distributed  to  farmers.  Considerable  diversity  in 
the  growth  of  the  plants  and  the  quality  of  the  fiber  appeared  at  the 
different  localities  where  experiments  were  made,  indicating  a  need 
of  adjustment  to  local  differences  of  soil  and  climate  inside  the  region 

f 

in  which  this  strain  of  cotton  lias  already  become  acclimatized  m  a 
general  way.  Much  of  the  fiber  was  shorter  and  less  uniform,  espe- 
cially in  length  and  color,  than  could  he  desired,  showing  that  the 
plant-breeding  work  m  carried   farther  before  a  stock  of  seed 

suitable  for  placing  in  the  hands  of  farmers  is  secured.  It  is  also 
highly  important  that  we  know  more  about  how  to  irrigate  Egyptian 
cotton  before  definite  advice  on  this  subjeel  is  offered.  Experience 
has  shown  that  the  form  and  size  of  the  plant  (upon  which  the  yield 
largely  depends)  and  the  quality  of  the  fiber  are  very  sensitive  to 
differences  in  frequency  and  times  of  irrigation,  but  more  pre: 
knowledge  <  point   is  needed. 

The  following  discussion  of  the  results  of  last  year's  experiments 
is  prefaced  by  a  statement  regarding  the  volume  and  value  of  the 
imports  of  Egyptian  cotton  into  the  United  State-  in  1908  and  by  a 
report  on  spinning  tests  made  by  manufacturers  with  the  fiber  pro- 
duced at  Yuma  in  L907. 

[Cir.  29] 


I  XPERIMEXTS    Willi     EGYPTIAN    t'OTTOM     IN     L9l  ."> 

IMPORTS  AND  PRICES  OF   EGYPTIAN   COTTON   IN    1908.'' 

Iii  order  to  justify   the  continuance  of  experiments  looking  to  a 
ssible  establishment  of  Egyptian  cotton  culture  in  the  Southv 
where  the  cost   of  labor  and  transportation  are  exceptionally  high, 

it  inii-1  lie  -how  11  that  there  i>  a  continued  heavy  demand  for  this 
type  of  cotton  and  that  the  prices  paid  for  it  are  sufficiently  high  to 
afford  reasonable  expectation  of  good  profits  from  growing  it.  Fur- 
thermore, it  must  he  shown  that  Egyptian  cotton  commands  a  consid- 
erable premium  in  the  market  over  ordinary  American  Upland  col- 
ton  if  the  former  type  i-  to  he  given  the  preference  by  southwestern 
farmers  interested  in  cotton  culture. 

In  a  preceding  publication  ''  statistics  were  given  of  the  total  im- 
port- of  Egyptian  cotton  into  the  United  State-  during  the  ten  years 
from  L898  to  1907,  inclusive,  and  of  the  average  prices  of  Egyptian 
and  Middling  Upland  cottons  on  the  Boston  and  Liverpool  markets 
during  the  same  period. 

During  190S,  01,511,723  pounds  of  cotton,  valued  at  $11,500,009, 
were    imported     into    the     United     States    direct     from     Egypt,    and 

53,412  pound-,  valued  at  $1,007,287,  the  great  hulk  of  which  was 
doubtless  Egyptian  cotton,  were  imported  by  way  of  the  United 
Kingdom.  The  direct  import-  of  Egvptian  cotton  in  1908  were 
about  S,000,000  pound-  heavier  than  the  average  for  the  preceding 
ten   year-,    although    about    17,1  pounds    lighter   than    in    1907. 

The  comparative  dullness  of  the  cotton  market  last  year  is  doubtless 
chiefly  responsible  for  this  decline  in  the  impor 

The  average  price  paid  on  the  Boston  market  for  all  grade-  of 
Egyptian  cotton  imported  during  l'.Hls  was  Is. 07  cent-,  as  com- 
pared with  11.11  cents  for  Middling  Upland.  The  average  prices 
of  Egyptian  and  Middling  Upland  cottons  on  the  same  market  dur- 
ing the  ten  year-  from  1898  to  l'.'OT.  inclusive,  were  15.3  cent-  and 
'.»..">  cent-,  respectively,  while  in  1907  the  average  price-  were  21.9 
cents  for  Egyptian  and  11.8  cent-  for  Middling  Upland.  There  was 
a  general  fall  in  the  price-  of  both  classes  of  cotton  during  the  year 
1908,  and  in  February,  1909,  the  price  of  Egvptian  had  reached  an 
average  of  15.09  cents  and  that  of  Middling  Upland  10.25  cents  on 
the  Boston  market.  It  will  lie  noted,  however,  that  the  premium  0 
Middling  Upland  commanded  by  Egyptian  cotton.'  which  ranged 
from    I   to   Id  cent-  during  the  year-   IS97  to  1908,  was  still  about   :. 

"'flic  figures  here  given  were  furnished  by  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Sta- 
tistics,  raited  States  Department   of  Agriculture. 

''Bulletin   No.   1  L's  of  the  Bureau  of  Plant    Industry,  entitled  "Egyptian   Cot- 
ton in  Hi.'  Southwestern  1'nited  States,"  [>.  i'."..  Tables  I  and  5. 

' 'There  is  a  well-known  tendency  in  the  cotton  market  to  lower  the  premium 
paid  for  high-class  cottons  when  the  price  of  Uplands  is  declining. 
I  eh-  29 J 


6  EXPERIMENTS    WITH    EGYPTIAN    COTTON    IN    1908. 

cents  in  February.  1909.  It  should  also  be  noted  that  the  prices  of 
Egyptian  cotton  quoted  are  those  of  the  average  and  not  of  the  besl 
grades  of  the  INI  it  Aiifi  variety  imported  into  the  United  States,  the 
latter  ranging-  from  2  to  3  cents  higher,  while  the  Jannovitch  variety 
brings  from  4  to  6  cents  more  than  the  average  for  Mit  Afiti.  If 
cotton  of  the  Egyptian  type  is  to  be  grown  in  the  Southwest  the 
production  of  a  quality  comparable  in  value  with  the  highest  im- 
ported grades  is  the  goal  to  be  kept  steadily  in  view. 

The  crop  of  1908  in  Egypt  is  estimated  to  amount  to  between 
625,000,000  and  OoO.OOO.OOO  pounds,  or  nearly  100,000.000  pounds 
less  than  that  of  1!)07.  The  smaller  yield  is  attributed  chiefly  to 
unusually  low  temperatures  and  excessive  atmospheric  humidity 
during  the  early  autumn. 

SPINNING   TESTS   OF    1907   FIBER. 

Small  samples  of  the  Egyptian  cotton  grown  at  Yuma  in  L907  weir 
sent  to  a  considerable  number  of  manufacturers  in  order  to  obtain 
their  opinion  of  its  quality  and  value.  The  results  of  their  examina- 
tion are  summarized  in  Bulletin  Xo.  128  of  the  Bureau  of  Plant  In- 
dustry, pages  41-15.  In  order  to  test  this  cotton  more  thoroughly. 
samples  of  200  pounds  each  were  sent  to  three  of  the  American  mills 
which  manufacture  large  quantities  of  imported  Egyptian  cotton. 
with  a  request  that  spinning  tests  be  made.  It  will  be  interesting 
to  quote  in  detail  from  the  reports  on  these  tests,  which  have  recently 
been  completed : 

The  first  mill  reported  as  follows: 

Upon  receipt  of  the  sample  of  Arizona  cotton  we  immediately  put  it  in  process 
of  manufacturing  and  find  it  a  very  satisfactory  cotton  in  every  way;  and  in 
all  of  the  various  operations  we  produced  about  28  per  cent  of  waste,  this  being 
very  close  to  what  we  take  out  in  our  regular  Egyptian  cotton. 

The  cotton  spins  well  up  to  110s  Ailing.  The  (Us  warp  yarn  sizes  63.30, 
breaks  at  33$  pounds,  with  33.7  turns  twist  per  inch.  This  is  the  same  twist 
that  we  use  in  spinning  Peeler  cotton,  our  regular  Egyptian  cotton  sizes  64.10, 
breaks  at  2Si  pounds,  having  37  turns  (wist.  Peeler  cotton  sizes  <i4.4.~>.  breaks 
al  35  pounds,  with  :::',. 7  turns  per  inch  twist.  What  we  refer  to  as  lots  filling 
really  sizes  102.7,  breaks  at  1.'!  pounds,  with  27.:!7  turns  twist  per  inch,  mis 
rilling  made  of  Peeler  cotton  actually  sizes  lots,  breaks  at  133  pounds,  same 
number  of  turns  twist:  as  the  above. 

The  cotton  runs  full  1§  inches  staple,  maybe  nearer  1  ,',.  inches,  and  according 
to  our  superintendent  is  good  for  warp  yarn  running  from  65s  to  7(ts  and  filling 
yarn  up  to  100s  to  104s.  The  spinning  qualities  are  very  similar  to  those  pos 
sessed  by  Peeler  cotton.  The  waste  is  not  excessive.  In  general  appearance  it 
is  very  close  to  Egyptian,  but.  we  think,  lacks  a  little  of  the  smooth  and  silky 
feel. 

This  mill  furnished  a  very  interesting  series  of  samples  of  roving, 
yarn,  and  sliver  from  the  Arizona-grown  cotton,  and  of  sateen  and 
[Cir.  L'n  | 


PERIMENTS    WITH    EGYPTIAN    COTTON    IN    L90 

plain  cloth  in  which  either  Peeler  or  Sea  [sland  fiber  wns  used  for  the 
warp  iiiul  the  Arizona  cotton  for  the  filling. 

From  the  second  mill  the  following  report  was  received: 
Yon   will  note  thai    for  No.  ."ids  yarn  the  Arizona   cotton   is  better  than   the 
Brown    Egyptian  which   we  use  for  thai    number,  bill   when   we  come   to  spin 
ns  yon   will   note  that    ii    is   uol   as  good   as  Jannovitch,   second   quality. 
.  when  we  couie  t<>  spin   No.  inns,  you  will  notice  thai   in  the  single  yarn 
the  breaking  strength   of   the  Arizona    is    ls.m.   againsl    IS.92   for  our   Janno- 
vitch,   first    quality;    whereas    in    the   Gray    Thread    the   breaking   strength    of 
Arizona    is   19.0,  and   Jannovitch,    first    quality,   21.3.     Taking   the  cotton   as  a 
whole,  we  class  ii  much  better  than  the  regular  Brown  Egyptian,  bul  not  as  good 
as  Jannovitch,  although  this  cotton  might  do  very  well  for  cloth  mills  for  line 
numbers  up  to,  say.  l  los.     The  waste  is  practically  the  same  as  Jannovitch. 

The  third  mill  furnished  the  following  statement: 
We  ha\c  tested  the  Arizona-grown  seed  cotton,  and  beg  to  reporl  that  we 
find  the  cotton  lighter  in  color  than  the  average  Brown  Egyptian.  The  staple 
has  a  slightly  harsh,  rough  feel,  is  very  lofty,  anil  does  not  lie  down  in  the 
processes  as  the  average  Mil  Aflfi  Egyptiau.  The  staple  runs  from  1'  to  li 
inches.  Owing  to  its  length  we  have  found  ii  necessary  to  put  it  through 
machinery  under  full  Sea  Island  setting,  in  consequeuce  making  more  waste 
than  should  be  had  there  Keen  quantity  enough  of  the  cotton  to  make  it 
practicable  to  adjust  the  machinery  to  its  best  needs.  The  yarns  are  smooth. 
even,  and  elastic,  and  the  break  of  I  he  average  No.  22.44  is  135  pounds  at 
humidity  of  .",;>  per  cent.  This  is  1!i  pounds  stronger  than  a  good  Mil  Alili 
cotton  and  about  '2  pounds  weaker  than  a  good  Georgia-grown  Sea  Island.  We 
are  very  much  pleased  and  impressed  with  the  cotton,  and  could  it  be  grown 
in  quantity  and  in  quality  equal  to  sample  it  would  be  valuable  for  our  class  of 

products. 

If  we  -urn  up  the  opinions  of  these  three  firms,  wo  find  them  to  be 
decidedly  favorable  as  regards  (he  quality  of  the  Arizona-grown 
cotton.  It  i-  therefore  no  longer  a  question  whether  a  good  grade 
of  cotton  of  this  type  can  he  produced  in  the  Southwestern  Slates. 
The  problem  thai  remain-  to  he  worked  out  is  whether  the  economic 
conditions  of  the  region  will  ju-ti  fy  farmer-  in  undertaking  the  grow- 
ing of  any  kind  of  cotton. 

RESULTS    OF   EXPERIMENTS   IN    1908. 

EXPERIMENTAL    FIELDS    \ T    "»  I   MA    AM)   SACATON,    ARIZ. 

At  Yuma  about  5  acres  of  sandy  loam  soil,  the  same  land  used  for 
the  experiments  in  L907,  was  planted  to  Egyptian  cotton  in  L908. 
The  land  was  divided  into  a  number  of  small  plots,  ranging  in  size 
from  1  acre  to  less  than  one-tenth  acre,  which  were  used  for  the  plant- 
breeding  nursery  and  for  tests  of  the  yield  and  quality  of  fiber  from 
various  lots  of  the  acclimatized  seed.  Experiments  were  also  made 
to  test   different   distances  of  planting,  differenl    times  of  planting, 

[Clr.  29] 


8  EXPERIMENTS    WITH     EGYPTIAN    COTTON    IN    1908. 

and  the  behavior  of  newly  imported  seed  of  the  Mil  Alili  and  Jan- 
novitch  varieties  as  compared  with  the  acclimatized  stuck. 

The  entire  held  was  flooded  on   February  26.     Most   of  the  plots 

ire  planted  from  March  ID  to  13,  and  thinned  from  April  11  to  L5, 
and  again  from  May  15  to  21.  Most  of  them  received  five  irrigations 
after  the  seed  was  put  in,  but  some  were  watered  only  three  or  four 
times.  From  three  to  six  cultivations  were  given  on  the  different 
plots.  The  number  and  dates  of  the  pickings  di tiered  widely.  The 
two  plots  which  yielded  at  the  heaviest  rate  per  acre  were  picked 
four  times,  the  first  picking  having  been  made  September  lid — -25  and 
the  last   picking  December  18-1!). 

At  Sacaton,"  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Gila  River,  about  30  miles 
southeast  of  Phoenix,  the  cotton  was  planted  on  a  sandy  loam  soil 
in  two  fields  about  one-half  mile  apart.  One  held  was  planted 
March  24—30  and  the  other  April  3-4.  The  first  Held  was  nearly  new 
land,  which  had  borne  previously  only  two  crops  of  grain,  while  tin' 
second  was  an  old  alfalfa  field.  The  preparation  was  alike  in  both, 
the  land  having  been  plowed,  harrowed,  irrigated,  disked,  and  har- 
rowed before  planting.  The  preliminary  irrigation  was  by  Hood 
ing — one  field  March  17-18  and  the  other  March  24-26.  Subsequent 
irrigations  were  by  furrows,  except  the  second  irrigation  on  a  section 
of  the  first  held,  which  was  by  flooding.  The  cotton  was  planted  in 
rows  5  feet  apart,  the  hills  2|  feet  apart  in  the  rows.  The  different 
sections  of  the  two  fields  were  irrigated  from  three  to  live  times  after 
planting. 

During  the  months  from  April  to  November  the  total  rainfall  at 
Sacaton  was  V>.3(J  inches,  of  which  2.16  inches  fell  in  duly  and  -J. 31 
inches  in  September. 

COMPARISON    OK   IMPORTED   AND   ACCLIMATIZED    SEED. 

In  a  previous  publication6  attention  was  called  to  the  poor  per- 
formance of  Egyptian  cotton  when  first  grown  in  the  Southwestern 
States  as  compared  with  the  results  after  several  year-  of  acclimati- 
zation. In  1908  seed  of  the  Mil  Alili  and  Jannovitch  varieties  ob- 
tained directly  from  Egypt  was  planted  alongside  the  acclimatized 
stock,  which  was  derived  originally  from  the  Mil  Alili  variety,  but 
which  had  been  grown  for  six  years  in  the  Southwest.  This  experi 
ment  furnished  additional  evidence  of  the  importance  of  acelimat  i/.a- 

"  Mr.  E.  w.  Hudson,  superintendent  el'  (lie  farm  on  the  Pima    Indian   Reser- 
vation,   managed   by   Hie   Office  el'   Plant    Life    History    investigations    in    co 
operation  with  the  Indian  Office  of  the  Department   of  the   [nterior,  had   im- 
iiate  charge  of  the  work  al  Sacaton.     The  data  here  given  are  taken  from 
his  detailed  report  on  the  season's  work. 

''Bulletin  No.  12S,  Bureau  of  Planl   Industry,  pp.  38  •':'•'. 
[Cir.  20] 


EXPERIMENTS    WITH     EGYPTIAN    COTTON    IN    It)  ! 

lion,  the  newly   imported  seed  giving  decidedly   inferior  results  as 
regards  both  yield  and  quality  of  the  fiber. 

DIFFERENT    BEHAVIOR    OF     Mil.    DIFFERENT     PLANTINGS. 

Considerable  diversity  in  the  shape  and  productiveness  of  the 
plants,  as  well  as  in  the  quality  of  the  fiber,  was  manifested  in  the 
different  localities  where  the  cotton  was  grown  in  1908,  although  the 
same  general  stock  of  acclimatized  seed  was  everywhere  used.  This 
diversity  was  doubtless  parity  due  to  the  widely  differenl  dates  of 
planting  (March  L0  to  dune  I),  to  the  differenl  preparation  of  the 
land,  and  to  differenl  methods  of  irrigation  and  tillage  practiced  in 
the  various  localities.  Part  of  it.  however,  is  probably  attributable 
to  differences  in  climate  and  soil. 

A  particularly  striking  case  was  a  small  planting  made  at  Coa- 
chella,  near  [ndio,  Cal.  All  the  plant-  in  this  one-tenth-acre  plot, 
though  grown  from  the  acclimatized  stock  of  seed  produced  at  Yuma 
in  1907,  made  an  erect,  spindling  growth  with  few  branches,  similar 
to  that  of  plant-  grown  at  Yuma  from  one  of  the  lots  of  newly  im- 
ported seed.  Individual  variation  was  suppressed  to  a  remarkable 
degree,  all  the  plant-  resembling  each  other  much  more  closely  than 
in  an\  other  locality.  This  seed  was  planted  late  (April  27),  yet 
not  nearly  SO  late  a-  at  other  localities,  where  the  usual  amount  of 
diversity  appeared  and  where  the  shape  id'  the  plant-  w  a-  very 
different.  Nor  could  it  he  learned  that  t hi-  treatment  of  the  plot 
with  respecl  to  irrigation  and  other  cultural  details  was  in  any  way 
except  tonal. 

Such  behavior  indicate-  that  special  precautions  to  secure  local 
adjustment  may  he  required  in  each  of  the  principal  irrigated  val- 
leys where  Egyptian  cotton  i-  to  he  grown,  in  addition  to  the  general 
adaptation  to  the  region  secured  by  six  years  of  acclimatization  and 

-election    in    the   SoiltllWest. 

■>  ii  in-. 

A  total  of  aboul  fi.000  pounds  of  fiber,  or  li;  American  halo-,  was 
produced  in  the  experimental  field-  at   Yuma  and  Sacaton. 

The  best  yield  obtained  at  Yuma  was  at  the  rate  of  2,158  pounds 
of  -ceil  cotton  or  t .< > i  pounds  of  lint  per  acre.  i.  e.,  about  1.'  American 
bales,  a-  compared  with  practically  2  American  hale-  from  the  best- 
yielding  plot  iii  1907.  The  difference  i-  partly  due  to  two  severe 
windstorms,  which   blew   much  of  the  ripe  cotton   out   of  the  bolls, 

Estimated  mi  a  kisis  of  28  per  rent  of  lint,  which  was  the  actual  percentage 
fur  the  entire  crop  a!  Sacaton.  The  actual  yield  in  the  above  ease  was  153 
[tounds  "i  seed  cotton  from  one-fifth  of  an  acre. 

77  im;     Cir.  -•'     09 2 


10  EXPERIMENTS    WITH     EGYPTIAN    COTTON    IX    1908. 

causing  an  estimated  loss  of  from  2.5  to  35  per  cent  of  the  total  crop. 
It  is  probable  that  the  yields  also  suffered  from  the  less  favorable 
autumn  temperatures  of  100N.  the  month  of  October  especially  hav- 
ing been  notably  cooler  than  in  1007.  In  L908  the  earliest  killing 
frost  occurred  in  the  Yuma  Valley  November  25,  while  in  1907  a 
killing  frost  was  not  experienced  until  December  10."  Inability  to 
obtain  water  for  irrigation  at  critical  periods  in  the  growth  of  the 
plants  likewise  affected  the  yields  adversely. 

The  total  yield  from  the  19]  acres  grown  at  Sacaton  was  5,000 
pounds,  or  10  American  bales;  hence,  an  average  of  slightly  more 
than  one-half  bale  per  acre.  This  yield  was  unexpectedly  low.  but 
a  variety  of  causes  combined  to  produce  the  result.  The  chief  of 
these  were:  (1)  A  heavy  rain  just  after  one  of  the  fields  was  planted 
and  the  presence  of  the  root-rot  fungus  and  of  root  lice,  which  in- 
jured the  stand  to  some  extent.  (2)  Insufficient  moisture  in  the  soil, 
some  parts  of  the  fields  having  been  kept  too  dry  throughout  the 
summer.  (3)  A  wind  and  rain  storm  on  September  8,  which  caused 
much  of  the  ripe  cotton  to  be  lost.  (4)  An  unusually  early  killing 
frost,  most  of  the  leaves  on  the  cotton  plants  having  been  killed  on 
October  21,  when  the  temperature  fell  to  28°  V.b  At  least  one-half 
of  the  crop  was  lost  as  a  result  of  these  various  circumstances. 

Of  the  total  amount  of  fiber  produced  at  Sacaton,  45.6  per  cent 
was  obtained  in  the  first  picking,  35.7  per  cent  in  the  second,  and 
18.7  per  cent  in  the  third.  Since  nearly  half  of  the  total  crop  was 
harvested  at  the  first  picking,  while  on  the  different  plots  at  Yuma 
in  1907  only  from  17.5  to  32  per  cent  of  the  total  yield  was  obtained 

"For  further  comparison  of  the  temperature  at  Yuma  in  the  autumns  of  1907 
and  1908  it  may  be  noted  thai  the  absolute  minima  at  the  main  Weather  Bureau 
station  at  Yuma,  which  is  situated  on  considerably  higher  land  than  where 
the  cotton  was  grown,  were  as  follows: 

1907.  190S. 

October      (on  the  29th),  53°  F.      October      (on  the  19th),  38°  F. 

November  (on   tin'  21st),   34°  F.      November  (on  the  29th),  30°  F. 

December  (on  the  19th),  34°  F.      December  (on  the  21st),  34°  F. 

At  the  substation    in   the  Yuma    Valley,   where  the  conditions  are  similar   t 

those  on  the  experimental  cotton  farm,  the  absolute  minimum  for  October,  1908, 

was  30°  F.  on  the  29th,  and  for  November  it  was  24°  F.  on  the  29th. 

The  monthly  mean  temperatures  at   the  main  station  were  as  follows: 

1907.  1908. 

September 82.2"  F.      September 82.6°  F. 

October—       72.7°  F.     October 68.3°  F. 

November—  -   o2.t>°  F.      November U2.3°  F. 

December 56.4°  F.      December 53.1°  F. 

&The  minimum  temperature  on   the  same  night  at    Phoenix  was    11      !•'..  while 
the  absolute  minimum   recorded   for  the  month  of  October  at    Phoenix   is  :>*>'    I'. 
[Cir.  29] 


EXPER1  MINIS    wiiii    EGYPTIAN    COTTON    in     L908. 


11 


at  t lie  first  picking,  u  is  clear  thai  the  later  ripening  portion  of  ili«' 
crop  ni  Sacaton  was  far  belovi  what  it  should  have  been  in  a  nor- 
mal season. 

The  average  percentages  of  lint  in  the  seed  cotton  at  Sacaton  were 
as  follows  for  the  several  picking*:  Firsl  picking,  28.2;  second  pick 
rig.  20.4;  third  picking,  26.5.     The  average  for  the  entire  crop  was 
28  per  cent. 

ol    Mil  "i     OK    III  I.    I  IB]  R. 

Six  grades  were  distinguished  by  Mr.  John  A.  Walker  in  classify- 
ing the  fiber  produced  at  Yuma  and  Sacaton  in  L908,  as  follow-: 

1.  Staple  I  i,  to  l  '  inches,  "extra  line."  silky. 

2.  Staple  l  i..  i"  i     inches. 
::.  Staple  1 3  Incl 

t.    Staple    I',    In    I :,    inches. 

5.  Staple  \  I  tn  l  1  inches. 

6.  Staple  1  1  in  H  inches,  .liny. 

The  percentages  of  the  total   product  at   the  two  localities  repre- 
sented liv  each  grade  arc  a-  follow-: 


1. 

2t 

:;. 

1. 

">. 

- 

■ 

Per  cent. 
36.0 

7.1 

- 

.5 

The  fact  that  the  two  highest  grades,  which  were  almost  wanting 
ai  Sacaton.  are  comparatively  well  represented  at  Yuma  is  attributa- 
ble chiefly  to  the  fa<1  that  most  of  the  fiber  included  in  these  grades 
was  picked  from  the  best  row-  in  the  plant-breeding  nursery,  winch 
was  located  at  Yuma.  This  cotton  was,  of  course,  the  most  highly 
selected  id'  all  that  was  grown  in  L908.  The  best  fiber  at  Sacaton 
was  obtained  at  the  third  picking  of  the  plants  -elected  here  and  there 
in  the  fields  to  furnish  --('(I  for  the  1909  planting. 

On  the  whole  the  L908  fiber  was  somewhat  inferior  in  length  to 
that  produced  at  Yuma  in  1907.  Then-  was.  however,  evidence  of  a 
general  tendency  to  a  shortening  of  the  length  <d  cotton  fiber  in  Up- 
land a-  well  a-  in  Egyptian  varieties  in  the  Colorado  River  region  in 
1908.  Such  a  result  during  a  single  season  should  not  cause  dis- 
couragement mile--  the  tendency  i-  found  to  persist.  In  Egypt  it 
ha-  been  noticed  that  in  occasional  vears  the  fiber  produced  in  large 
districts  and  even  throughout  the  cotton-growing  area  i-  decidedly 
inferior  in  length  and  mher  qualities,  and  the  causes  of  this  inferi- 
ority are  by  no  means  alwa\  •  obvious. 

Hii-.  29] 


12        EXPERIMENTS  WITH  EGYPTIAN  COTTON  IN  11*08. 

^  bile  a  length  of  L|  inches  in  imported  Mit  Afili  cotton  i>  re- 
garded as  satisfactory,  it  is  believed  to  be  desirable  to  produce  a 
longer  staple  in  the  Southwest.  That  there  is  reasonable  hope  of 
accomplishing  this  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  on  the  110 
provisional  -election-  of  individual  plants  made  in  the  breeding 
nursery  at  Yuma  the  average  length  of  staple  was  1  !j  indie-. 

As  regards  other  qualities,  the  strength  and  fineness  were  generally 
satisfactory.  The  color  was  in  the  main  somewhat  lighter  than  in 
1907.  Luster  was  generally  deficient.  It  was  observed  that  the  fiber 
in  newly  opened  bolls  is  satisfactory  in  this  respect,  but  the  gloss 
soon  disappears,  probably  because  of  exposure  to  the  extremely  dry 
air  of  the  region.  The  gradual  deterioration  in  the  silky  feeling  of 
the  fiber. is  probably  due  to  the  same  cause.  It  may  therefore  he 
found  desirable  to  pick  the  cotton  as  soon  as  possible  after  the  bolls 
open.  This  will  largely  depend  upon  whether  the  price  is  sufficiently 
enhanced  to  warrant  the  increased  expense  of  the  more  numerous 
pickings.0  It  would  doubtless  aid  in  preserving  the  luster  and  silki- 
ness  of  the  fiber  to  store  it  both  before  and  after  ginning  in  as  cool 
a  room  as  can  be  had  and.  if  precautions  are  n>ed.  to  moisten  arti- 
ficially the  atmosphere  of  the  storeroom. 

Both  at  Yuma  and  Sacaton  the  fiber  from  the  third  picking  was 
invariably  superior  in  length  and  fineness  and  generally  in  strength 
to  that  from  the  first  and  second  pickings.  As  a  rule,  the  second 
picking  yielded  better  fiber  than  the  first.6  This  is  probably  due.  at 
least  in  part,  to  the  fact  that  the  bolls  of  the  first  crop  open  through- 
out September  and  much  of  the  ripe  cotton  remains  exposed  for  a 
considerable  period  to  the  very  dry.  hot  air  of  that  month.  The 
fourth  picking  at  Yuma  (made  December  L8-23)  yielded  very  long 
and  silky  but  weak  and  wasty  fiber.  This  was  probably  furnished  in 
great  part  b}7  unripe  frost-opened  bolls. 

PLANT-BREEDING    WORK. 

At  Yuma  the  work  of  selection  in  the  breeding  nursery,  which  was 
planted  with  seed  from  the  very  best  plants  selected  in  L907,  was 
continued  as  in  previous  years.  The  object  of  this  work  is  of  course 
to  increase  the  productivity  and  the  length,  strength,  fineness,  and 
other  qualities  of  the  lint,  so  that  if  the  industry  becomes  established 

"A  further  advantage  of  frequent  picking  would  he  the  greater  cleanness  of 
Hi.'  lilicr.  since  dusl  would  have  less  opportunity  to  accumulate  in  it  and  there 

would  lie  less  trash,  the  \al\es  of  the  hells  and  (he  invohieral  bracts  being  less 
dry  and  brittle  when  the  picking  is  done.  Moreover,  there  would  he  a  smaller 
less  et  seed  cotton  from  the  open  bolls  on  accounl  of  windstorms. 

''At  Sacaton  all  of  the  first  general  picking  was  placed  by  Mr.  Walker  in  his 
fourth  grade,  while  part  of  the  second  and  all  of  the  third  went  into  his  third 
grade. 

[Cir.  l".)| 


EXPERIMENTS    Willi    EGYPTIAN    COTTON    IN    11*08.  13 

in  the  Southwest  superior  seed,  capable  of  producing  a  grade  of  fiber 
that  will  command  the  highest  prices  paid  for  this  type  of  cotton, 
will  be  available. 

Tun  row-  in  the  nursery,  each  grown  from  a  single  selected  plant 
of  L907,  showed  decided  superiority  over  all  the  others,  both  in  the 
number  of  exceptionally  fine  individual  plants  (seeds  of  each  of  which 
were  saved  separately  for  planting  in  the  breeding  nursery  in  1909) 
and  in  the  high  quality  of  the  hulked  fiber  from  the  remaining 
(unselected)  plants.  One  of  these  rows  represents  the  Mil  Alili  type, 
having  fine,  crinkly  fiber  of  a  pronounced  brown  color.  The  other 
has  long,  silky7,  almost  white  fiber  and  approaches  more  nearly  the 
Abbasi  type.  Plantings  of  the  hulk  seed  from  several  of  the  best 
rows  will  be  made  this  spring,  and  seed  from  the  progeny  of  those 
rows  which  most  successfully  maintain  their  high  quality  will  be  in- 
creased as  rapidly  as  possible  with  a  view  to  future  distribution  to 
farmers. 

In  all.  L10  prov  isional  selections  of  individual  plants  were  made  at 
Yuma  in  L908,  the  best  of  which  will  be  retained  for  planting  the 
breeding  nursery  in  L909.  The  preference  will  be  given  to  plants 
from  row-  having  a  high  "  projected  efficiency,"  i.  e.,  in  which  the 
highest  percentage  of  good  plants  occurred.  The  average  length  of 
fiber  for  the  1 1  < >  selections  was  l!:j  inches.  A  length  of  \:;  inches  in 
imported  Mil  Aliti  cotton  i- considered  very  satisfactory. 

Since  the  cotton  showed  considerable  variation  at  Sacaton  as  coin- 
pared  with  that  grown  from  the  same  stock  of  seed  at  Yuma,  it  was 
considered  desirable  to  make  numerous  -election-  of  the  best  indi- 
vidual plant-  at  Sacaton  also,  the  >n:<]  from  which  will  he  planted 
there  in  a  nursery  this  season  on  the  "plant-to-row"  system  with 
:i  \  iew  to  obtaining  an  improved  -train  or  strains  better  adapted  to 
the  local  conditions  in  that  pari  of  the  Gila  Valley.  In  addition  to 
these,  seed  from  several  hundred  plants  that  were  above  the  average 
in  yield  and  quality  of  lint  was  mixed  together  for  the  genera]  plant- 
ing in   L909. 

To  keep  thi-  high-bred  cotton  up  to  standard  it  will  he  necessary 
to  practice  continuous  -election  of  seed.  Intensive  breeding  by 
careful  -election  of  the  very  besl  individual  plants  will  probably  have 
to  he  carried  on  either  by  governmental  institutions  or  by  a  few  of 
the  besl  farmer-  in  each  locality  who  make  a  specialty  of  the  produc- 
tion of  superior  seed.  Bui  every  farmer  can  practice  -election  to  a 
certain  extent,  and  by  doing  SO  can  probably  avoid  going  oil'  his  own 
farm  for  seed  for  several  year-  at  a  time.  All  that  is  necessary  i-  to 
go  through  the  field  before  the  first  picking  and  mark  with  rags  or 

in  some  other  way  the  mosl  productive  plants  having  a  g 1  quality 

of  fiber.    These  can  then  be  picked  and  ginned  separately  and  the 
kept  a  pari   from  the  general  crop  for  next  year*-  planting. 


14  EXPERIMENTS   WITH    EGYPTIAN    COTTON   IN   1908. 

PLANTING  DISTANCE. 

Experiments  were  made  at  Yuma  to  determine  the  effect  upon  the 
yield  and  quality  of  the  fiber  of  different  planting  distances.  The 
distances  tested  were:  (1)  The  usual  Egyptian  distance  2^  feet  be- 
tween the  rows  and  16  inches  between  the  hills;  (2)  J4  feet  between 
the  rows  and  2  feet  between  the  hills:  (3)  5  feet  between  the  rows 
and  2^  feet  between  the  hills;  (4)  0  feet  between  the  rows  and  3 
ice!  between  the  hills,  the  last  distance  being  that  followed  in  all  the 
other  plantings  at  Yuma.  Owing  to  variation  in  the  soil  moisture 
in  the  different  plots,  due  to  imperfect  leveling,  differences  of  tex- 
ture, and  the  accidental  escape  of  irrigating  water  in  some  cases,  no 
satisfactory  conclusions  could  be  drawn  from  these  experiments. 
Some  plots  or  portions  of  plots  were  too  wet  and  others  loo  dry 
during  much  of  the  summer  to  permit  of  a  fair  comparison.  Ap- 
parently the  yields  were  as  heavy  where  the  wider  planting  distances 
were  used  as  where  the  rows  and  hills  were  closest  together. 

IRRIGATION   METHODS. 

Further  experimenting  is  necessary  before  any  definite  recommen- 
dations can  be  made  as  to  how  to  manage  the  irrigation  of  Egyp- 
tian cotton  on  the  different  soils  of  the  region.  Experiments  with 
furrow  irrigation  were  made  at  Sacaton,  and  Mr.  E.  W.  Hudson 
reports  that  the  results  were  satisfactory.  His  method  consisted  of 
"  plowing  a  furrow  on  each  side  of  each  row  and  allowing  the  water 
to  run  through  until  the  ground  between  the  furrows  was  saturated." 
Mr.  Hudson  further  states:  l*  This  appears  to  be  a  great  improvement 
over  flooding,  because  the  entire  surface  does  not  cement  together." 

PRODUCTIVENESS     IN     RELATION     TO     TIME    OF     PLANTING     AND     RATK     OF 

IRRIGATION. 

The  way  in  which  Egyptian  cotton  plants  develop  is  largely  influ- 
enced by  the  time  of  planting  and  by  the  amount  id'  irrigation  they 
receive.  Mr.  O.  F.  Cook  points  out  thai  the  effect  of  external  condi- 
tions upon  the  yield  is  increased  by  the  fact  that  the  cotton  plant  has 
two  distinct  kinds  of  branches.  The  fertility  of  the  plant  depends 
in  great  measure  upon  the  early  development  of  the  special  fruiting 
branches. 

Experiments  were  made  at  Yuma  to  determine  the  effect  of  plant- 
ing at  different  dates  during  the  spring.  The  result  showed  clearly 
that  planting  as  early  as  the  weather  permits  gives  the  best  results. 
Some  farmers  planted  Egyptian  cotton  in  the  Colorado  River  region 
in  1908  as  late  as  April  20  to  dune  1.  Without  exception  these  late- 
planted  fields  produced  a  crop  id'  bolls  on  the  upper  part  of  the  plants 

[Cir.  29] 


EXPERIMENTS    Willi    EGYPTIAN    COTTON    IN     LiMW.  1 .") 

only,  giving  probably  not  more  than  one-third  to  one-half  of  the 
yield  thai  would  have  been  obtained  had  planting  been  (lone  at  the 
right  time.  When  the  seed  is  put  in  so  late  that  practically  the  entire 
development  of  the  plants  takes  place  during  the  hottest  part  of  the 
summer  there  is  a  rapid,  weedj  growth  of  the  main  stem  and  o1 
large  sterile  branches.  This  sometimes  prevents  the  formation  of 
the  fruiting  branches  on  the  lower  part  of  the  plant.  In  other  cases, 
although  such  branches  arc  formed,  they  arc  short  and  weak  and  may 
die  and  drop  off  lie  lure  the  bolls  ripen.  1  fence  no  "  bottom  crop  '"  is 
obtained. 

The  results  obtained  in  L908  make  it  evident  that  Egyptian  cotton 
plants  are  extremely  sensitive  to  fluctuations  in  soil  moisture  and  that 
the  yield  and  quality  of  the  fiber  depend  largely  upon  the  way  irri- 
gation i-  managed.  Excessive  application  of  water  in  the  early 
stages  of  growth,  especially  if  the  cotton  has  been  planted  late,  causes 
the  plant-  to  shoot  up  into  a  tall,  spindling,  unfruitful  form.  A 
sparing  use  <»l  water  during  the  firsl  period  id'  development  induces 
a  better  growth  of  these  lower  fruiting  branches.  But  there  is 
danger  that  if  the  economy  of  water  i-  earned  too  far  the  plant-  may 
become  too  much  dwarfed  in  growth,  setting  only  ;i  few  -mall  bolls, 
which  often  open  prematurely  and  produce  short,  weak,  coarse  fiber. 

During  the  hottest  part  of  the  summer,  when  the  cotton  i-  in  bios 
som  and  the  bolls  arc  setting,  a  too  sparing  use  of  water  check-  the 
growth  of  the  whole  plant  and  particularly  causes  injury  by  hinder- 
ing the  development  of  bolls  on  the  upper  part  of  the  plant. 

The  -oil  should  certainly  not  be  allowed  to  gel  so  dry  that  the 
wilting  which  normally  take-  place  during  the  hottest  part  of  the 
day  becomes  conspicuous  and  the  plant-  are  -low  to  recover  their 
fresh  appearance  a-  evening  approaches.  The  productiveness  of  the 
plant-  is  -ure  to  be  injured  by  a  cessation  of  development  >\\\r  to  lack 
of  moisture  in  the  -oil.  followed  by  the  sudden  stimulus  to  growth 
caused  by  a  heavy  irrigation.  A  steady,  even  development  of  the 
plant,  especially  after  the  bolls  begin  to  form,  is  the  ideal  to  lie  kept 
in  view  . 

i  R(  >--!  \i.   Willi   OTHER   \  U.'ir.l  n  -. 

The  lack  of  uniformity  in  the  cotton  plants  and  liber  manifested 
in  1908  wa-  further  accentuated  by  the  presence  of  numerous  hybrids 
wnli  Ipland  varieties.  In  L906  and  L907  several  plots  of  Upland 
cotton-  were  grown  alongside  the  experimental  held  of  Egyptian 
cotton  at  Yuma  in  order  to  test  their  productiveness  ami  general 
adaptability  to  the  region  in  close  comparison  with  the  hitter.  The 
belief  was  generally  current  at  that  time  among  cotton  breeder-  that 
the  percentage  of  hybrids  produced  under  these  condition-  would  be 

[Clr  29] 


16  EXPERIMENTS    WITH    EGYPTIAN    COTTON    IN    L908. 

too  small  to  be  of  practical  importance.  It  ha.s  been  found,  however. 
that  the  conditions  at  Yuma  are  exceptionally  favorable  to  the  carry- 
ing of  pollen  from  one  plant  to  another,  the  cotton  flowers  being 
visited  by  several  species  of  bumblebees  and  other  Hymenoptera  in 
large  numbers.  As  a  result,  in  1907  and  again  in  1908  numerous 
hybrids  appeared  among  the  Egyptian  plants. 

The  elimination  of  this  hybrid  element  from  the  acclimatized 
Egyptian  stock  is  one  of  the  most  serious  problems  in  connection 
with  the  experimental  work.  Fortunately  some  of  the  be^t  selections 
appear  to  have  largely  escaped  contamination  and  are  behaving  in 
a  very  uniform  manner.  These  will  be  relied  upon  as  the  basis  of 
pure  strains.  Otherwise,  acclimatization  of  freshly  imported  seed 
musi  be  resorted  to,  and  with  this  possible  contingency  in  view  care- 
fully isolated  plantings  of  new  seed  of  the  leading  Egyptian  variet  ies 
will  be  made  at  Yuma  this  year. 

The  practical  lesson  to  be  drawn  from  the  occurrence  of  these 
hybrids  is  that  growing  any  other  type,  and  especially  Upland,  in 
the  proximity  of  commercial  cultures  of  Egyptian  cotton  i-  hound  to 
result  in  disaster  to  the  latter.  The  presence  of  Upland  varieties 
in  the  neighborhood  will  make  it  impossible  to  secure  pure  seed  of 
Egyptian  cotton.  While  the  fiber  of  the  first  generation  hybrids 
is  often  excellent,  it  differs  from  Egyptian  cotton  iii  length,  color, 
and  texture,  and  hence  when  mixed  with  the  latter  lowers  the  uni- 
formity of  the  product.  The  commercial  value  of  Egyptian  cotton 
largely  depends  upon  its  uniformity,  and  this  is  ohe  of  the  chief 
reasons  why  it  is  so  highly  prized  by  spinners.  Furthermore,  the 
fiber  of  hybrids  of  later  generations  is  usually  very  inferior  to  that 
produced  by  first-generation  plants. 

DISEASES    ANli    INSECT    ENEMIES. 

The  only  disease-  that  appeared  in  the  Egyptian  cotton  in  1908 
were  a  few  small  spots  at  Sacaton,  due  to  the  root-rot  fungus  (Oso- 
nium  omnivorum)  and  a  mild  attack  of  damping-off,  caused  by  fungi 
of  the  genus  Rhizoctonium,  which  appeared  early  in  April  on  the 
seedlings  at  Yuma  and  Sacaton. 

Koot-rot  is  well  known  in  irrigated  districts  in  the  Southwest  as 
the  disease  which  causes  bare  spots  in  alfalfa  fields.  A-  it  also 
attacks  cotton,  badly  infected  alfalfa  fields  should  not  he  planted  to 
the  latter  crop.  Mosi  of  the  plants  in  the  spot-  al  Sacaton  died  late 
in  the  season,  after  they  had  made  nearly  their  full  growth  and  pro- 
duced many  bolls.  Mr.  Hudson  states  that  the  spots  did  not  appear 
to  increase  in  size  during  the  period  of  growth  of  the  cotton  crop. 

[Cir.  29] 


EXPERIMENTS    WITH     EGYPTIAN    COTTON     IN     19  17 

Deep  fall  plowing  previous  to  planting  cotton  will  probabh  greatly 
mitigate  the  severity  of  the  attack  of  this  fungus." 

The  daniping-oft'  fungus,  which  appeared  before  thinning  had  been 
done  caused  comparatively  little  damage  to  the  stand  in  cither  local- 
ity and  did  uol  seem  to  have  affected  the  later  growth  of  the  plants. 
In  some  seasons,  however,  this  disease  may  necessitate  more  or  less 
replanting.  Thorough  plowing  and  perfect  tilth,  so  as  to  secure  good 
acrai  ion  of  the  soil,  are  recommended  as  a  mean-  of  reducing  the 
damage  from  damping-off. 

Mr.  YV.  A.  Orton  points  out  that  Egyptian  cotton  i-  particularly 
susceptible  to  tin-  bacterial  disease  known  a-  "  black-arm."  the  presence 
of  which  in  a  locality  would  almosl  certainly  prevent  the  establish- 
ment of  this  promising  industry.  It  i-  therefore  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance that  no  cotton  seed  be  brought  into  the  Colorado  River 
region  unless  it  i-  positively  known  that  the  seed  was  grown  in  a 
locality  entirely  free  from  this  disease  and  that  there  has  been  no 
opportunity  for  infection  in  transit.  Fumigation  or  disinfection  of 
the  seed  can  not  be  relied  upon  to  destroy  the  germ  of  this  disease. 

The  only   injurious   insect    noticed   in    1908   was  a  green   aphis. 
plant   louse,  which  appeared  at  Sacalon  in  dune  on  the  root-  of  many 
of  the  plant-.     A  -mall  percentage  of  the  infested  plant-  died,  appar- 
ently as  a  direct  re-ult  of  the  attack-  of  this  insect. 

The  presence  of  the  cotton-boll  weevil  would  undoubtedly  be  ex- 
tremely disastrous  to  Egyptian  cotton  culture,  since  the  length  of  the 
season  during  which  the  bolls  are  formed  on  this  type  of  cotton  and 
the  -hading  of  the  ground,  due  to  the  large  size  of  the  plant-,  create 
peculiarly  favorable  condition-  for  the  multiplication  of  this  insect. 
The  weevil  has  not  yet  appeared  in  the  Colorado  River  region,  but  its 
introduction  may  take  place  at  any  time,  since  farmer-  are  -eciirino- 
seed  of  Upland  varieties  in  the  heart  of  the  region  where  t! 
i-  prevalent,  due  State  of  California  issued  a  quarantine  order  last 
spring,  requiring  all  cotton  seed  brought  into  the  State  to  he  inspected 
and  fumigated  by  the  State  horticultural  commission  or  by  the  county 
commissioners  of  Imperial.  San  Diego.  Riverside.  San  Bernardino,  or 
counties,  acting  as  their  deputies.     A-  yet.  however,  no 

iptiou  of  this  disease  ami  recommendations  for  controlling  ii  see 
the  papers  by  « '.  I..  Shear  and  George  F.  Miles,  published  as  Bulletin  No.  102, 
pari  5,  Bureau  of  riant  Industry,  entitled  "The  Control  of  Texas  Boot-Hoi  of 
Cotton,"  1907,  and  Circular  9,  Bureau  of  I'laui  Industry,  entitled  "Texas  Boot- 
Cotton:  Field  Experiments  in  I'.mT."  I'.ios. 
'' W.  L.  Balls,  in  yearbook  of  the  Khedivial  Agricultural  Society  (Egypt)  for 
i pp.  93  to  111,  describes  a  treatment  of  the  seed  with  naphthaline  and  gyp- 
sum bef<  re  planting,  which  he  lias  found  efficacious  in  destroying  the 
the  fungus. 


18  EXPERIMENTS    WITH     EGYPTIAN    COTTON    IX    L908. 

quarantine  law  exists  in  Arizona,  although  last  year  the  agricultural 
experiment  station  inspected  and  fumigated  all  cotton  seed  known  to 
have  been  brought  into  the  Territory. 

ALKALI    KKSISTAM   I  . 

In  a  portion  of  one  of  the  fields  at  Sacaton  there  was  so  much  alkali 
present  in  the  soil  as  to  prevent  a  stand  being  obtained.  Examination 
of  the  soil  around  the  scattered  plants  occurring  there  showed  that  a 
good  growth,  numerous  bolls,  and  a  fair  quality  of  fiber  can  be  pro- 
duced by  exceptionally  resistant  individuals  in  the  presence  of  from 
one-half  to  1  per  cent  of  total  salts  in  the  first  3  feet  of  the  soil.  The 
preponderating  salt  was  sodium  chlorid,  or  common  salt,  but  with 
considerable  sodium  sulphate  and  sodium  bicarbonate  present — the 
type  of  alkali  that  is  most  common  in  southern  Arizona  and  south- 
eastern California.  This  indicate-  a  considerable  tolerance  for  alkali 
on  the  part  of  the  Egyptian  cotton  plant,  since  it  is  well  known  that 
saline  soils  in  which  sodium  chlorid  form-  the  greater  part  of  the 
alkali  are  more  injurious  to  most  crop  plants  than  the  type  in  which 
sodium  sulphate  predominate-.  No  plants  grew  at  Sacaton  in  place- 
where  the  average  amount  of  alkali  in  the  first  3  feet  of  soil  was  as 
high  as  1.7  per  cent. 

While  resistant  individual  plant-  can  produce  a  small  amount  of 
fairly  good  fiber  in  the  presence  of  from  one-half  to  1  per  cent  of 
alkali,  it  is  probable  that  land  containing  considerably  less  than  one- 
half  of  1  per  cent  must  be  selected  in  order  to  obtain  anything  like  a 
full  stand  and  the  best  quality  of  fiber.  The  actual  limit  of  safety 
remains  to  be  determined. 

Apparently  Egyptian  cotton  i-  somewhat  less  resistant  to  alkali 
than  the  Upland  varieties,  although  more  information  is  needed  on 
this  point  also. 

Examination  of  the  bulk  fiber  obtained  from  the  portion  of  the 
held  where  alkali  was  present  in  noticeable  quantity  showed  that  the 
staple  was  decidedly  shorter  than  elsewhere  at  Sacaton.  running  II, 
to  1 J  inches  in  the  first  and  second  pickings  and  1|  to  1$  inches  in  the 
third:  hence,  averaging  nearly  or  quite  one-eighth  inch  shorter  than 
the  fiber  grown  on  soil  containing  no  appreciable  amount  of  alkali. 
There  also  seemed  to  he  a  tendency  to  a  greater  development  of  fuzz  ■ 
on  the  seed-  of  Egyptian  cotton  in  alkali  soil. 

PRESENT     OUTLOOK     FOR     EGYPTIAN     COTTON     IN     THE     SOUTH- 
WESTERN   STATES. 

Region  where  the  best  results  hare  been  obtained.  Egyptian  cotton 
requires  a  long  season  for  maturing  a  full  crop.  The  part  of  the 
United  States  where,   from  present   indication-,  the  greatest   success 

[Cir.29] 


EXPERIMENTS    Willi     EGYPTIAN    COTTON     IN     1908.  L9 

can  be  expected  is  the  Colorado  Iviver  region  in  southwestern  Arizona 
and  southeastern  California,  including  the  valleys  of  the  Salt,  Gila, 
and  Colorado  rivers  and  the  Imperial  Valley.  It  has  been  demon- 
strated that  large  yields  of  high-grade  fiber  can  lie  produced  under 
irrigation  in  thai  region.  Extreme  southern  Texas,  especially  the 
lower  Rio  Grande  Valley,  i-  probably  suited  for  Egyptian  cotton  so 
far  as  climate  is  concerned,  but  the  presence  of  the  boll  weevil,  to 
which  tlii--  type  of  cotton  falls  an  easier  prey  than  any  other,  make-; 
its  successful  culture  t lie re  very  doubtful  under  existing  condition-. 

Advantages  over  Upland  cotton. —  It  is  almost  certain  that  if  cot- 
ton growing  can  be  made  commercially  successful  in  the  extreme 
Southwest  it  must  be  on  the  basis  of  some  superior  long-staple  type 
which  commands  a  premium  over  Middling  Upland.  The  average 
price  paid  for  the  Egyptian  cotton  imported  in  1908  represents  a 
premium  of  nearly  7  cent-  per  pound.  I  nder  irrigation  in  this  region, 
fully  a>  large  yields  appear  to  be  obtainable  from  Egyptian  as  from 
Upland  varieties.  The  cost  of  the  operation-  necessary  to  produce, 
a  crop,  with  the  exception  of  harvesting,  i-  not  greater  for  Egyptian 
than  for  Upland  cotton.  The  increased  cost  of  picking,  due  to  the 
small  bolls  and  lame  size  of  the  Egyptian  plants,  is  much  more  than 
counterbalanced  by  the  greater  value  of  the  product. 

/  collision  of  other  cotton. — No  other  cotton  should  be  grown  in  a 
locality  where  culture  of  the  Egyptian  type  is  to  be  undertaken. 
Experience  has  shown  that  in  the  Southwestern  States  Egyptian  cot- 
ton crosses  very  readily  with  Upland  varieties  if  grown  anywhere  in 
the  neighborhood,  and  the  result  i-  a  rapid  deterioration  of  the  Egyp 
tian  fiber,  the  product  suffering  in  uniformity  by  reason  of  the  differ- 
ent length  and  white  color  of  that  from  the  hybrid  plants.  Uni- 
formity more  than  any  other  one  quality  determines  the  price  paid 
for  Eg\  ptian  cotton.  Furthermore,  intermixture  with  the  large  fuzzy 
seed-  of  the  hybrids  makes  clean  ginning  difficult.  Hence,  any  com- 
munity of  farmer-  desiring  to  undertake  the  growing  of  Egyptian 
cotton  should  see  to  it  that  no  other  type  of  cotton  is  planted  in  their 
vicinity. 

Wilm  of  a  local  reputation. —  It  will  prove  an  immense  advantage 
to  any  locality  producing  this  high-class  fiber  if  buyers  learn  to 
identify  the  locality  with  the  type  produced,  knowing  that  in  a  par- 
ticular valley  they  can  depend  upon  securing  a  certain  good  quality 
of  Egyptian  cotton  and  no  other.  The  name  of  such  a  locality  will 
ultimately  become  associated  with  the  grade  produced,  as  i-  now  the 
case  in  Egypt,  where  cotton  coming  from  certain  provinces  i-  given 
the  preference  by  buyers,  owing  to  the  general  high  reputation  of 
part  icular  districts. 

[Clr.  U'.>| 


20  EXPERIMENTS    WITH    EGYPTIAN    COTTON    IN    1908. 

Extensive  planting  at  -first  should  h,  avoided. — Public  opinion 
should  be  educated  in  every  possible  way  as  to  the  undesirability  of 
handling  Egyptian  cotton  as  a  "bonanza"  crop.  In  view  of  the 
scarcity  and  high  price  of  labor  in  the  Southwest,  farmers  should 
proceed  very  cautiously  in  planting  cotton.  A  very  small  area  will  be 
sufficient  to  teach  the  would-be  grower  how  the  cotton  behaves  in  his 
locality,  how  he  must  irrigate  and  cultivate  it  to  secure  a  good  yield 
and  satisfactory  quality  of  fiber,  and  what  the  prospects  are  for  get- 
ting a  larger  acreage  picked  at  reasonable  cost.  Problems  of  trans- 
portation and  marketing  still  remain  to  he  worked  out.  It  is  prob- 
able that  even  if  all  these  problems  are  satisfactorily  solved  the  indi- 
vidual fanner  should  avoid  extensive  plantings.  A  few  acres  on  each 
farm,  which  the  farmer's  own  family  can  care  for  and  pick,  if  neces- 
sary, will  be  a  much  safer  investment. 

If  Egyptian  cotton  finds  a  place  among  the  agricultural  industries 
of  the  Southwest,  it  will  he  as  a  money  crop  from  which  a  sure  bui 
moderate  profit  may  he  expected.  Its  safety  lies  in  its  not  being  a 
perishable  product  which  must  be  rushed  to  the  market  as  soon  as  it 
is  harvested,  regardless  of  market  conditions. 

Community  action  essential. — In  establishing  Egyptian  cotton  cul- 
ture in  any  locality  cooperation  among  a  number  of  growers  will  be 
essential.  In  order  to  market  the  product  to  advantage  it  will  lie  nec- 
essary to  produce  a  greater  quantity  having  a  uniform  quality  than 
any  single  farmer  is  likely  to  grow.  Much  more  favorable  terms  can 
he  secured  from  buyers  if  large  numbers  of  bales  of  the  same  type  and 
grade  are  sold  together.  Furthermore,  a  number  of  farmers  by  join- 
ing forces  can  purchase  the  machinery  needed  for  ginning  and  baling 
the  cotton,  which  it  is  out  of  the  question  for  each  individual 
farmer  to  do. 

Necessity  of  excluding  diseases  and.  injurious  insects. — Since  (he 
presence  of  either  the  cotton  boll  weevil  or  the  bacterial  disease 
known  as  "black-arm"  would  in  all  probability  put  a  stop  to  any 
effort  to  grow  Egyptian  cotton,  communities  proposing  to  undertake 
its  culture  should  take  every  precaution  to  prevent  the  introduction 
of  these  pests.  The  safest  plan  will  he  to  exclude  rigorously  ah 
obtained  in  localities  whose  freedom  from  both  the  weevil  and  the 
disease  can  not  he  definitely  ascertained.  Disinfection  of  the  seed 
may  keep  out  the  weevil,  hut  can  not  prevent  the  introduction  of 
"  black-arm." 

SUMMARY. 

During  the  year  1908,  61|  million  pounds  of  Egyptian  cotton  were 
imported  into  the  United  States.  The  average  price  paid  for  this 
cotton  on  the  Boston  market  in   L908  was  L8.07  cents  per  pound,  as 

[Cir.  29] 


I  M'l  U  MINTS    WITH     EGYPTIAN    COTTON    IN     L908.  '_' 1 

compared   with    11.11   cents   for  Middling  Upland.     The  total   value 
of  the  clirecl   importations  from  Egypt   was  more  than  $11,500,000. 

Spinning  and  weaving  tests  of  the  fiber  produced  al  Yuma.  Ariz., 
in  1907  were  made  by  three  American  mills  which  use  large  quanti- 
ties uf  imported  Egyptian  cotton.  The  consensus  of  the  reports 
.in  these  tests  indicates  that  the  acclimatized  Mil  Alili  grown  in 
Arizona  compares  favorably  with  the  better  grades  of  this  variety 
imported  from  Egypt. 

In  1908  about  10  acre-  were  planted  to  cotton  of  the  Egyptian  type 
in  the  Colorado  River  region  in  southern  Arizona  and  southeastern 
California.  Nearly  half  of  this  acreage  was  on  the  Pima  Indian 
R     ervation  at   Sacaton,  Ariz. 

Direct  comparison  of  the  behavior  of  Egyptian  cotton  from  newly 
imported  seed  with  that  from  seed  grown  for  several  year-  in  the 
Southwest  gave  further  evidence  of  the  necessity  for  acclimatizing 
this  type  of  cotton  before  good  yields  and  a  high  quality  of  fiber 
can  be  secured. 

Considerable  diversity  in  the  shape  and  productiveness  of  the 
plant-,  as  well  as  in  the  quality  of  the  fiber,  was  manifested  in  vari- 
ous localities  in  the  Colorado  River  region  where  the  cotton  \ 
grown  in  1908,  although  the  same  general  stock  of  seed  was  every- 
where used.  This  indicates  the  need  of  local  adjustment  in  different 
part-  of  the  region. 

The  highest  yield  obtained  in  1908  was  at  the  rate  of  1  ',  American 
bales  per  acre  on  a  one-fifth-acre  plot  on  the  experiment  farm  at 
Yuma.  At  Sacaton  the  average  yield  for  the  19  acres  grown  was 
slightly  over  one-half  bale.  Unfavorable  weather  condition-  and  a 
temporary  shortage  of  water  for  irrigation  are  chiefly  responsible 
for  the  low  yields  as  compared  with  those  obtained  in  1907. 

The  fiber  was  graded  by  an  expert  as  it  came  from  the  gins  and 
care  was  taken  in  baling  to  have  the  contents  of  each  bale  as  uniform 
as  possible.  An  effort  will  be  made  to  market  the  12  bale-  obtained 
under  such  condition-  as  to  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  probable  commercial 
value  of  this  cotton  in  the  Colorado  River  region. 

The  liber  produced  in  190S  was  on  the  whole  somewhat  shorter  than 
that  grown  in  1907,  ami  the  average  color  was  somewhat  lighter.  The 
strength  and  fineness  were  generally  satisfactory. 

Experiments  at  Sacaton  with  furrow  irrigation  indicate  that  at 
lea-t  under  some  condition-  thi-  method  may  give  better  results  than 
flooding. 

The  development  of  the  branches  which  bear  the  boll-,  and  conse- 

ently  the  productiveness  of  the  plant-,  was  found  to  be  largely  in- 
■ncr<\  by  the  time  of  plantim*  and  the  way  in  which  irrigation  is 
managed.     Marly  planted  cotton  gave  in  all  cases  the  best  yields. 

[Cir 


22  EXPERIMENTS    WITH    EGYPTIAN    COTTON    IN    1908. 

Between  the  times  when  the  bolls  have  begun  to  form  and  the  first 
crop  ripens,  water  should  never  be  withheld  so  long  that  the  develop- 
ment of  the  plants  is  severely  checked.  A  steady,  even  growth  is  the 
ideal  to  be  kept  in  view. 

In  the  Colorado  River  region  Egyptian  cotton  hybridizes  very 
readily  with  Upland  varieties.  The  fiber  borne  by  the  hybrid  plants, 
although  usually  of  excellent  quality,  differs  in  length,  color,  and 
texture  from  that  of  the  pure  Egyptian  plants  and  hence  injure-  the 
uniformity  of  the  product. 

A  good  stand  and  good  quality  of  Egyptian  cotton  can  only  be 
expected  on  land  containing  less  than  one-half  of  1  per  cent  of  alkali 
in  the  first  :;  feet  of  the  soil,  although  exceptionally  resistant  individ- 
ual plants  will  produce  a  fair  quality  of  fiber  in  the  presence  of  one- 
half  to  1  per  cent. 

Approved : 

James  Wilson, 

cretary  of  Agriculture. 

Washington,  D.  C  March  16,  1909. 

[Cir.  20] 


o 


UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 


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